US Report Notes Low-level Religious Friction in Balkans

Unresolved land disputes, property restitution claims and problems with registering new religious denominations are some of the faith-related problems that the 2017 International Religious Freedom Report, published by the US Department of State on Tuesday, noted in the Balkan region.

It said incidents such vandalism of religious sites, hate speech and anti-Semitism, as well as discrimination against particular minority faiths, occurred sometimes in the region, and noted deficiencies in the prosecution of hate crimes.

Albania

The report said Albania legalised fewer mosques in 2017 than the year before, with 41 legalised during last year after a peak of 137 in 2016.

Like most countries in the region, Albania reportedly did not process any claims for restitution of property seized during the communist era and approved only one claim for compensation, with 112 claims pending.

Some minority faiths reported difficulties in acquiring land to construct places of worship while the Protestant organisation, the Evangelical Brotherhood of Albania, VUSH, complained about a continued lack of financial support from the government, despite repeated requests for the government to amend the law and add the provision of financial support for it.

The report said Albania was also training teachers to combat radicalisation.

"Between January and May, the government trained 29 teachers at 15 schools as part of a pilot educational program to help prevent radicalisation and promote religious tolerance; however, implementation of the full program stalled in May and its future appeared uncertain," it noted.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Discrimination against smaller religious groups was noted as the most...